Hey Koolman
I worked in that biz for a long time. My take on it all was that it was one big dysfunctional
family. Whoever this micro manager is , is not just doing this to you but to everyone from the PAs on up. I was able to deal because the projects always ended and I was either on to the next one or laid off.
I got tired of it a few years back and decided I would rather walk my old dog in the snow . Dogs are great teachers about what is important in life. So i walked away
and now have a much lower paying job .
Sometimes i think I was crazy for walking away. Because the money when i worked was great. But at my current job there are still people and still frustrations. There is a lot about it that is still dysfunctional with out the high profile and income.
Which makes me think at least about my self that I still have a lot of work to do on myself. It is my choice to remain afterall.
Its all in my power . "they" only have power over me if I give it to them.

idunn: You are so right! Working in a corporate meat-grinder is such a soul-stifling experience that leads to petty in-fighting among office workers...and for what? A few extra bucks-? What good's a pile of money if we're sick or a corpse sitting on top of it? No wonder employees need good benefits--the stress of the job makes them sick!

I was practically starving to death in March and needed some money (I free-lance and my main business, photographing and videotaping weddings--was extremely slow) so I figured I'd kill myself for a couple of weeks and make up the loss in income. Well, the project has ballooned from two weeks to four. I'm gonna be a nice guy and not charge them for what I'm sure were at least 40 extra hours on the project, but, if they come at me with something like this again in the future, I'm going to say "no". I don't enjoy being a slave to the corporate machine. I didn't care about this project--I did it for the money. While some parts of it were fun, overall, the thing was too deep and complex in too little time.

I'd like to add that this guy, when he contacted me to do his project, didn't have a script, even a vague outline-! I didn't even know how to bid the thing, except to charge him an hourly rate. He and his boss came at me with an estimate tally of hours, and I looked at the dollar figure and said "sounds good". Figured I'd dive into this one project and then, based on how much fun I had with it, would decide whether I want to do another in the future. There were so many variables, because they had no idea how many departments' employees would be participating, and how long each department's skit was (employees were encouraged to come up with a skit that illustrated each of the company's service promises)...too many variables. They should've told the employees the skit should be no more than 1 minute...that would've been a good start...but they didn't.

Or maybe they knew all this and felt that, if they told me the true size and complexity of this project and the time they needed it delivered, I would have said "no" (they would be correct).

Never going into a project half-cocked like this again.

I guess a business relationship is not all that different than a personal one-! Two people go in blindly with only a vague idea of what they want, and then do a lot of guessing!

keymar: Just like to add that the marketing guy hasn't been mean, just nit-picky and indecisive ("this is all subject to my boss's approval"--then why are YOU being so nit-picky?).

Yes Koolman , you hit the nail on the head !
Its work but it is still a relationship! Oh yes.
And when I look at some of the ways I have chosen or not chosen , I see patterns that erupt in my personal life too. But it all involves people and I am people person or am I. Or is it the project, problem or solution that I am after. Yes yes so many variables
Walking dogs for a living sounds good as does horticulture.
Anyway , in my current J O B which I have had for over four years !! big thing for me.
I freelanced for 18 years Anyway I grew up
grew a bit of teflon skin. I have learned much about myself and my tendency to over react which is something I do in my personal life too Not saying that you are doing this. I do it .
Anyhoo! Good to share in your venting, in a safe place where no one gets hurt and we all learn a little more about ourselves, life and relationships! :))

idunn: Thanks. I used to have a teflon skin, when I worked for a video production company (full-time plus unpaid overtime). I can't believe the shit I put up with in that job...

Then I was laid-off in 2000 and have been free-lancing ever since. I suppose I've gotten spoiled on the short-term commitments and free flexible time-schedule I enjoy, so, when I allow someone to suck me into their vortex void of stress (becuase my free-lance world is a little lean financially so I need money), it brings back memories of that corporate thankless meat-grinder gray fog purgatory...

Haven't overeacted directly to this guy, even though he has tested my very last nerve of patience...guess I needed to come here to vent, because that project allowed me no room to be emotional; had to be a robot at the whims of the puppetmaster.

I can see why directors and editors like Dick Donner and Stuart Baird locked horns and clashed many times on their movies, like The Omen and Superman. Stuart has since moved onto direct as well as edit. Does both well and has made a successful living doing both. Dick has, of course, made some incredible movies. Both of them are very rich, so they don't argue very much anymore LOL.

Passion comes with artists. I like to think I'm an artist, but sometimes need a little hand-holding and guidance on a project that has no script. When they can't make up their minds about what they want and I end up doing the work 3 times that should've been done once, I get frustrated, because it is a waste of my time and effort.

Hi Koolman
Venting is part of the process. for artists.
Hope you are well

Yes, your'e right people make life entirely too complicated. It's often about the pecking order rather than being actually right. Hopefully this week will be more productive for you. Goog luck.

Thanks, guys. This week the project (aside from a few minor revisions) is done, so the pressure's off and I feel a great weight lifted.

Yeah, I think it's just their amusement that they've got me jumping through hoops for them. Well, they won't be laughing when they get my final bill LOL.

Good luck with that Bill, koolman ;-)